Alice
Alice was the 65th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 3,547 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 8th; the most babies were born in 1921 (11,955). Over the last ten years it has moved up 22 places. More babies were named Alice in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning noble kind · Germanic, French
Say it AL-is /ˈælɪs/
- Rank in 2025
- #65 girls, up 11 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 3,547girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 192111,955 babies
- Total since 1880
- 590,106babies recorded
What does the name Alice mean?
Alice comes from Old French Alis or Aalis, a shortened form of the Germanic name Adalheidis, the same name that gave Adelaide. DMNES derives it from Old High German adal, 'noble', and heit, 'kind, sort', so the sense is 'of noble kind'. DMNES calls Alice one of the most lastingly popular women's names in medieval Europe, and notably one that did not depend on a famous saint. It is found in English records from the 12th century, in Latin spellings such as Adelicia and Alicia.
adal (Old High German, “noble”)heit (Old High German, “kind, sort, state”)
How sure is this? Probable.
Related names: Adelaide, Alicia, Alys, Alison, Alize.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean noble.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Alice', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Alice', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Alice (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Alice
The usual nicknames for Alice are Allie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Alice in the last five years, 18 were named Allie, against 141 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allie · also for Allison, Alexandra | Traditional | #569 | 3,133 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Alices go by each one.
Alice popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,959 since 1881.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #65 | 3,547 |
| 2020 | #76 | 3,296 |
| 2010 | #173 | 1,780 |
| 2000 | #422 | 669 |
| 1990 | #345 | 773 |
| 1980 | #328 | 738 |
| 1970 | #201 | 1,621 |
| 1960 | #119 | 4,051 |
| 1950 | #57 | 6,363 |
| 1940 | #32 | 7,603 |
| 1930 | #20 | 9,516 |
| 1920 | #15 | 11,596 |
| 1910 | #10 | 4,671 |
| 1900 | #14 | 3,059 |
| 1890 | #14 | 2,271 |
| 1880 | #8 | 1,414 |
How popular is Alice, counting every spelling?
Alice is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #78 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #65 for Alice on its own. Together these spellings went to 3,656 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alice | 3,547 | #65 | 17,447 |
| Alyce | 38 | #3,834 | 194 |
| Alis | 34 | #4,174 | 140 |
| Allis | 8 | #10,973 | 56 |
| Aliss | 11 | #8,890 | 49 |
| Alisse | 5 | #15,049 | 44 |
| Alysse | 6 | #13,300 | 41 |
| Alyss | 7 | #12,006 | 40 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Alice?
3,547 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Alice (0.98 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Alice born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Alice.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Alice?
About 205,700 people born in the US named Alice are alive today, with a median age of 65; half are between 17 and 78. That makes Alice a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Alice by state
How common Alice was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (3.5×), Vermont (3.3×), Alaska (2.8×), Maine (2.7×), Wyoming (2.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in California, Georgia, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Alice: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Alice, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Alice · Sibling names for Alice
Questions about the name Alice
What does Alice mean?
Alice means “noble kind” (Germanic, French origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Alice?
Alice was the 65th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 3,547 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 8th; the most babies were born in 1921 (11,955). Over the last ten years it has moved up 22 places. More babies were named Alice in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Alice a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Alice in the US.
Where is Alice most popular?
In 2021–2025, Alice was most common in District of Columbia (7.51 per 1,000 girls), followed by Vermont and Alaska.